Pumpkin Gingerbread Bars

This has been quite the week of holiday cooking and baking…and it makes me so happy. #23917 why I love Christmas. My little apartment just smells amazing all the time. And I just couldn’t let Christmas pass by without posting a new recipe for a sweet treat. One of my favorites this time of year are the traditional gingerbread cookies. I love the cutout ones, particularly getting fancy with the icing, but sometimes simple is best. So I made my own version of gingerbread that is super quick, impressively healthy, and just plain delicious.

These are, unsurprisingly, completely vegan and gluten-free. I tried a new flour this time, that has more starch and doesn’t require the added ingredients like xanthum gum: Buckwheat flour. Contrary to what the name implies, buckwheat is not a wheat at all; rather, it is a type of seed related to rhubarb and sorrel. It has no gluten, but it is full of good fiber, b-vitamins, amino acids, iron, magnesium, and antioxidants. I combined this super-flour with almond meal for added protein and nutrients.

The rest of the ingredients include a combo of pumpkin, maple syrup, molasses, and coconut oil for sweetness and moistness, and then lots of spices for flavor. The result: a decadent, dark, melt-in-your-mouth gingerbread bar bursting with Christmas flavors. To jazz these up a bit, sprinkle with powdered sugar or shredded coconut. Or if you want to get real fancy, you could cover with a coconut-cream based frosting!

You may notice my photos look a little different in this post – pretty clean I think! My boyfriend thought of a pretty genius idea and got me a studio photo tent and lighting with an iphone tripod. It allows me to get the lighting and positioning just right without also holding on to my phone! Pretty awesome for food bloggers like me. Now, onto the sweets…

Ingredients:

• 1 cup buckwheat flour
• 1/2 cup almond meal
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp cloves
• 1 tbsp flax meal
• 3 tbsp water
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1 tsp vanilla
• Powdered sugar or shredded coconut for topping

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Mix dry ingredients (buckwheat flour through cloves) and whisk or stir well.
3. Combine flax meal and water and stir. Let sit for 5 minutes or so.
4. Combine wet ingredients (flax through vanilla) and mix well.
5. Gradually add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, preferably using an electric mixer. Beat well until pretty smooth.
6. Line 9×9 square baking pan with parchment paper, or just grease with coconut oil.
7. Pour gingerbread batter into baking pan and even out.
8. Bake for 40 minutes, or until slightly cracked on edges and firm in middle. (May still be slightly gooey in center when toothpick inserted but that’s okay).
9. Let cool completely and then cut into 16 small squares.
10. Sprinkle with powdered sugar or shredded coconut. Enjoy!